3D printing technology is applied in various industries for manufacturing and planning. For example, the automotive, aerospace and consumer goods industries use 3D printing to create prototypes of parts and products. 3D printing has also been used in the architectural industry for printing structural models. The applications of 3D printing in private and government defense have grown rapidly as well.
3D printing has had a significant impact in the medical fields. Medical applications of 3D printing date back to the early 2000s, for example, with the production of dental implants and prosthetics. 3D printing has also been used in the fabrication of drug delivery devices that can be used for direct treatment. A variety of drug delivery devices may be created which allow for customizable drug release profiles.
Traditional 3D printing allows an object to be created by depositing a material over a flat fabrication platform one layer at a time. Once a first layer is deposited, a second layer is deposited on top of the first layer. The process is repeated as necessary to create a multi-laminate solid object. However, 3D printing does not allow for continuous extrusion to create an object.
Conventionally, bone tissue regeneration is achieved by filling a bone repair site with a bone graft. Over time, the bone graft is incorporated by the host and new bone remodels the bone graft. In order to place the bone graft, it is common to use a monolithic bone graft or to form an osteoimplant comprising particulated bone in a carrier. The carrier is thus chosen to be biocompatible, to be resorbable, and to have release characteristics such that the bone graft is accessible. Generally, the formed implant, whether monolithic or particulated and in a carrier, are substantially solid at the time of implantation and thus do not conform to the implant site. Further, the implant is substantially complete at the time of implantation and thus provides little ability for customization, for example by the addition of autograft.
Traditional methods of 3D printing allows for objects to be created through layered stratification of print material onto a flat surface. The layered stratified products created through traditional 3D printing lack the strength and flexibility necessary to make a hollow implant. As such, a suitable implant having a hollow center for particulated bone or other osteogenic materials is difficult to manufacture through traditional 3D printing methods.
Thus, there is a need for a 3D printing device that can manufacture hollow structures for implantable medical devices, such as for example, mesh covering or bags that are strong, flexible, stretchable and biocompatible. There is a need for a 3D printing device having a rotatable printing surface that allows continuous extrusion instead of stratified layers to manufacture hollow structures for implantable medical devices.